Story Highlights

It was Jones, a Pacers assistant, who swiftly and shrewdly flung his arms out to corral players on the Indiana bench when an on-court scuffle erupted between George Hill and Atlanta's Mike Scott during the Pacers' Game 6 win Thursday night.

In the midst of the chaos, Jones rushed out of his seat to hinder the Indiana players from violating an NBA rule that decrees any player who leaves the vicinity of the bench during a fight will be suspended for the next game.

In retrospect, Jones proved an invaluable roadblock: By virtue of his quick thinking, one step by George never became two.

And, announced Friday by the league, George and all other players will be good-to-go for Saturday night's winner-take-all Game 7 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

"That's something you just know as an assistant coach," Jones said Friday. "That was all just instincts. I didn't care what was happening on the court, my first thought was, 'Get everybody back.' "

That's exactly what he did — likely preventing George and reserve Rasual Butler, who made more on-court progress than George — from rushing over to Hill and Scott. A few more steps from either would have assuredly resulted in a suspension and, in the case of George, a most-damaging absence for a Pacers team that faces its second consecutive must-win situation.

Asked after practice Friday about a possible suspension, George said he would be "heartbroken" if he were forced to watch Game 7 from the sideline.

Now it is a reality the Pacers do not have to face.

Now, they can focus on a task that has proven far more arduous than anticipated: dispatching, once and for all, the eighth-seeded Atlanta Hawks.

Indiana ran through a light practice Friday under the assumption George would play, focusing on what it must do to beat a team that has been an enormous thorn in their side for six games spanning 13 days.

Indiana has lost only eight games at home all season. Three of those have come to the Hawks over the past 26 days.

The Indiana Pacers say they are ready for Saturday's all-or-nothing Game 7 of their NBA playoff series against Atlanta.
Phillip B. Wilson / The Star

"Three of the last four times we played these guys at home, they've build a 20-point lead and beat us pretty good," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "We know this team can beat us here. We know we have to come in and play our best."

One thing on the Pacers' side will be a frenzied fieldhouse crowd sporting gold from the front row to the rafters. It's a luxury the Pacers have never enjoyed in their NBA history — yes, Saturday will be the first time Indiana will host Game 7 of a playoff series.

"That's what we worked so hard for," said Lance Stephenson. "Now, we have to show that we want it."

The Pacers are 2-4 in Game 7s, the most recent being last year's lopsided loss to Miami in the Eastern Conference finals.

Vogel was his routine self Friday, his trademark optimism in tow while he divulged little regarding what tactics he'll employ Saturday night. He shifted small Thursday night for longer stretches than he has all series, and it paid off in a situation in which failure would have brought with it an all-too-early offseason.

Roy Hibbert started the game but not the third quarter, playing just 12 minutes while going scoreless for the second consecutive contest. Luis Scola played less than a minute, and Evan Turner watched all night from the bench.

In their stead, Chris Copeland and Ian Mahinmi — both of whom have proven more productive options in combating the Hawks' spread attack — combined for 50 minutes.

"You might see Scola back in there, might see Scola and (David) West together," Vogel said. "But Copeland created some things for us with the offensive spacing he gave us, so we'll continue to explore those options."

Either way, a back-and-forth series in which no team has won consecutive games will finally close Saturday. The Pacers, having survived two recent scares — Thursday's game and Friday's decision — figure they're all the better for it.

Now they must finish the job.

"It's a back-to-the-wall type of game," said George. "We're a veteran group, an experienced group. We should be ready for this moment."

Game 6 sets ratings record

Indiana's 95-88 win over the Hawks on Thursday night was the highest-rated telecast ever on Fox Sports Indiana.

The Pacers' come-from-behind victory earned a 10.4 household rating in Indianapolis, according to the network. That tops the previous high of 10.1 set May 17, 1999, for Game 1 of a second-round playoff series with Philadelphia.

The game was also the top-rated program in prime time in Indianapolis on Thursday night. Compared with last year, Pacersratings on Fox Sports Indiana increased 100 percent — the biggest increase in the NBA in 2013-14.